RE: Thunder Cat 31
 

Hey, guy, I was only kidding about the color - I think the purple is cool - you're right: IT'S FUNCTIONAL - that's all that matters so you can get out and RUN! Especially when you feel the need for speed! Which is a LOT during the summer and even more during the winter, depending upon where you live! Have fun!

RE: Thunder Cat 31
 

its all good when i got my TC31 it was purple lol and i hated it but f in ugly and i hated the purple coupler but it got me on the water i use the if it aint broke dont fix it i just like to run the snot out of this thing and dont care what happens to it if it sinks or blows up oh well paid $ 25.00 for it ready to run it was just out of tune and was told it wouldent run had it going in 20 min after i got it home guy i got it from was pissed big time after 5 years of running all i have done is new paint new fuel tank and just replaced the stock flex shaft this week and a new prop BSP just to see alittle more speed i hope think i may need a new engine after Saturdays run as i think it took a big drink of water and it just aint running quite rite now good reason to get a OS .46

RE: Thunder Cat 31
 

yeehaa...finally got the 'glassing' done to the hull, redrilled for autobailers and new speedmaster rudder bracket (had to make sure new steering arm lined up with old exit in hull), aeromarine quicklocks. dowels filled old rudder mount holes, glass resin and spot putty and sanded to smooth it out, drain plug got 3 layers of fiberglass and spot putty to smooth outside before redrilling. i had to add resin and spot putty in areas under the 'old' rudder mount and strut as some of the gel coat pulled away showing the fiberglass underneath :( .....finished up glassing new mounting points for the hatch (3 layers of fiberglass around dowels and old vents where quick locks are going to be redrilled for, still drying atm....hope to have the new hatch vents and quicklock areas drilled sometime tonight, and off for paintjob this coming weekend...

RE: Thunder Cat 31
 

Great work. Cant wait to see the end results.


I was finally able to get mine out and run it at the lake last week. Still runs great. Here's a short video of it going.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxZbrUDhsV4[/youtube]

Click the link if you want to watch it in HD. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxZbrUDhsV4

RE: Thunder Cat 31
 

nice run bro....havent seen you in the TC31threads in a while :) anyways, added some spot putty in the glassed area outside the hatch, making it flush with the outside of the canopy for redrilling, as you can see, vents already been cut out with a dremel, after paint both front and rear vents will have screen added for aesthetics :D .....was hoping to redrill those spots for the quick locks but its going to take some time to cure before i can unfortunately :(
i test fitted the canopy to hull with the new dowels in front, fits nice and snug :)

RE: Thunder Cat 31
 

Thanks. Yeah I haven't posted on the forums in a while but i still check in from time to time. I'm in college now so I've been really busy with that and all kinds of other things. Have probably only had the boat out a half a dozen times or so in the last year or more.

RE: Thunder Cat 31
 

thats kewl.....yea ive been reading a ton of threads here for a very long time, posting only the past few weeks lol.... picked up 4 used boats in ebay this spring/summer, besides the TC31, also aquired a green SV27 nitro, TS2 w/ OS MAX XM .21 ob, and an Atlantic harbor tug which i'll be using as a recovery boat.....
hell, only new boat ive purchased was the newly released TS3....another one with same OS ob i'll be adding....my TS2 and 3 are also getting new paint within the next couple of weeks, and the SV27 after the 'running' season is over here in NY will have its new coat of paint... the TC31 and SV27 will be getting same colors (Lime green and black, gold pinstripes) the TS2 and 3 will be Black n Red with gold pinstripes.... a good friend of mine will be airbrushing the work for me since I'm not too good with that sort of thing :P

besides getting into boats this summer, which ive wanted to do for a very long time, i may even add another cat to the collection.....since the first time i thought about getting any boat, ive wanted an Aeromarine Sprint Cat....but at this time, if i do pick one up, or a RC boatworks Stryker (F1 or Top gun) i wanna run a gas engine...just decided whatever hull i plan to pick up, both are nice hulls, and will do the job i want it for....tons of speed

RE: Thunder Cat 31
 

Thats a pretty awesome line up. I picked my TC31 up off of ebay several years back. I had traxxas nitro V for my first boat and it was good for a starter but I quickly relized I wanted more speed. lol


I took apart and rebuilt the engine last summer and found out the sleeve had been put in the case about 1-2 degrees off center. Once I got all that corrected it runs better than ever. I did notice last time I ran it though that it is taking on quite a bit of water while running. I guess I need to pick up some autobailers or something.

RE: Thunder Cat 31
 

aye....i picked mine up while i had everything ripped out of the hull and checking out the engine....better to be prepared i guess. the TC is my first boat, even if i have my SV27 in the water first since i didnt have to do much for that other than realign the engine with the flexshaft/stuffing tube and add a dab of epoxy on the nose where it looks like there was a minor collision from previous owner...it wasnt cracked through, but did as a precautionary measure...
yea i may get a few runs in her before the season is up, but, i'll be replacing the engine anyways this winter...plan to drop in a Novarossi, looking at the Top.35, more torque and speed...will be working on the SV27's new paint at the same time...that way i'll have a few to play with when next spring comes along :) (no rush to get the 2 TS's in the water yet... the TC31 im concentrating on first :))

RE: Thunder Cat 31
 

i never changed the glow plug before this exaust problem happened?

RE: Thunder Cat 31
 

need some help on the stock motor in my thundrcat 31, the boat was barley broke in when i was running it a little hard full blast to keep up with another boat and noticed that it lost some power and sounded wrong shut it to low speed brought it in right away. this is when i discoverd that the exaust manifold bolts fell out, checked the temp on plug it was around 290 i know that was very hot usually runs 150 or close in there, went home to fix the bolts but the gasket had broke and a piece was missing called horizon they dont sell this gasket so i made one from thin gasket material i had. the boat satrs good idles good no problems, but when i run it it will run for just a few min like maybe 5 if that then you hear the motor sound drop in power shortly followed by dead in the water, bring it to shore check temp around 170 190 after a couple mins to get it back with retieval boat. checked the compression it is cold running 70 lbs is the motor toast or im i over looking somthing ? also it eat 3 glow plugs after this trying to figure it out,

RE: Thunder Cat 31
 

it will eat glow plugs during the break-in process, it sounds like you were running the boat a bit too lean.....you should be running it rich so you dont do any damage to the motor, and it will be running cooler in the process. during break in process, your boat wont be moving out very fast...that will slowly build up speed as the motor breaks in. i wouldnt even be trying to 'compete' with any other boat in the water untill you break it in anyways, overdoing it you can blow your motor if it isnt ready yet.....................make sure you have good water flow thru your cooling lines, also check all your nuts n bolts, fittings periodically to make sure they are kept tight....that includes the muffler bolts and pressure fitting on the header....also make sure there are no leaks in your fuel system (muffler line, fuel tank, etc).....grease your flex shaft every few runs, make sure set screw for drive dog isnt coming loose, and prop nut is tight...

RE: Thunder Cat 31
 

Your running WAY to Lean.[:@][:-] engine temp is greatly affected by fuel mixture, Nitro Fuel running through an engine Cools it off. When you Richen the High Speed Needle (HSN) you turn it Counter Clockwise and Add more fuel to the Air\Fuel mixture which Cools the engine "Block". The Heat is created by the Combustion\Ignition of the fuel, the Leaner you make the Air\Fuel mixture the Hotter the Combustion Is. You Must tune the engine to it;s Optimum Fuel mixture every time you go to the pond or even running in the AM when it's cool then in the PM when it's hotter. Manny factors affect Optimum fuel mixture Like,,, Air Temp, Humidity, water temp, Barometric Pressure, etc... If you dial it in when it's 90*F one day and go out the next morning when it's 75*F,,, You Will be running real Lean.
Running Lean Will fry glow plugs. One of the ways to tell how the fuel mixture is burning is Read the Glow Plugs,, If it's Black and Wet your running Rich, If it's Light Brown or Tan and damp and coil is tan or gray your just about right, If the coil is White or starting to Distort your To Lean, If your Eating Plugs and running HOT,,, Your To Lean.

RE: Thunder Cat 31
 

please would someone explain how the heck i use after run oil as i have been running my boat about 6 times and i just bought after run oil today so how do i use it? also i sprayed the whole engine in dw-40 is it ok or should i just stick to the after run oil?

RE: Thunder Cat 31
 

After Run Oil (ARO) is used in the glow plug hole and down the carb. At the end of the day I drain the fuel from the tank and flush with WD-40 then I pull the plug and open the carb, and spray WD-40 in both. Place a paper towel over the glow plug hole and pull the rope a few times, then repeat it , then apply 5 or 6 drops of ARO down both holes and pull the rope a couple more times(with paper towel in place;)) and repeat that. put the glow plug back in and go to the next step of maintenance.

RE: Thunder Cat 31
 

i do understand the fuel mix and what this does for cooling the boat ran great till the hedder deal, it acts as though the motor was over heated due to the heddre pipe cumming off? but in the past on my trucks when i raced them a few years ago i had a motor that the exaust was knocked off in a race over heated due to spotter not turning the truck over when was in front of him whitch toasted the motor after that it would start cold run a few min then die wouldnt start till cooled off again. but my compression was real week? the thundercat acts this way but still has good compression? thought maybe was overlooking somthing hate to buy new motor but might have too?

RE: Thunder Cat 31
 

hi well my thundercat seems to lose it top end speed i dont know why? its like it will go at its full speed for a while then it wont and then it will sometimes go at its full speed it just doesnt seem to hold its top end speed? the guy at my lhs said i must do a hydro tune to it for a bit of money he said he would do it? im confused whats the problem

RE: Thunder Cat 31
 

sounds like your mixture might be a little lean.

RE: Thunder Cat 31
 

I agree....

RE: Thunder Cat 31
 

what do you mean??you mean the fuel mixture thingy how di i change it? the guy at the hobby store set it for me and told me not to touch it or ill melt the engine??

RE: Thunder Cat 31
 

Like Den said...check ALL your bolts. I had the same problem with my SV 27 and it turns out the cylinder head bolts were loose. The engine will start cold and as everything warmsup, the lack of compression from the metal EXPANDING AND FUEL LEAKING THROUGH THECYLINDERcaused it to run lean anddie. Tightened mine up and AINT HAD A PROBLEM SINCE!Sounds like that was the problem in your truck as well.

RE: Thunder Cat 31
 

There are two needles on your engine. One is the HighSpeed Needle (HSN) and the other is the Low Speed Needle (LSN). If the engine runs and revs without dying youLSN is probably fine. TryOPENINGthe HSN to allow more fuel (about1/4 of a turn) and see if that helps. The HSN will usually be the one sticking out from the engine. On yours, if you are looking at the front of theboat it will be the gold thingyon the left side of the enginewere the fuel line goeswith theblack screw sticking out.Turn it counterclockwise to open it up a bit to richen the mixture.

RE: Thunder Cat 31
 

This Is What My Thundercat 31used to look like inthe water now i got to rebuild the motor.

[img]C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\My Documents\My Pictures\Picture[/img]

RE: Thunder Cat 31
 

Are you sure it is blown? Did you read my post on page 107?

RE: Thunder Cat 31
 

yes, i have been through all the bolts on the engine and checked the tank for trash alos tore down the carb and resealed it still the same problem? nothing esle to do except rebuild the piston and sleeve? it still gets me that i have 70lbs on compression thats what bugs me but im at my ends with it checked all the normal stuff for nitro motors that iknow of and some things that you guys have recomended still same problem as described above in my first post. now want to hear somthing weired? i set up a test bench bottle to run boat on stand, temp stays low 130 or so and seems to run for quit some time idleing and rev ups weired ?